Tauranga - City On Its Feet Programme
Measurement of success and outcomes
It is important to involve research/survey providers early on in the project to help develop project objectives and outcomes that are measurable. Also, clarifying the extent to which change in a particular set of social indicators e.g. physical activity can and cannot be attributed to the project is worthwhile. It will help with keeping reporting simple and practical.
Be cautious with setting targets for the first year – awareness building and changing community and individual behaviours around physical activity takes time.
Media and marketing lessons
Go after free publicity! The project co-ordinators wrote press releases that included human interest stories and local newspapers picked them up. It was the personal stories about overcoming barriers to change, that provided the best hook and saw the biggest volume of responses from readers.
The stories in local newspapers proved to be the most successful method of communicating the project aims and brand. This was gleaned through survey data where people were asked about what media they had responded to: 58% response from newspaper articles, 29% response from radio.
Radio advertising was the next most effective form of communications with the desired audience for City On Its Feet A marketing company put together the ‘real stories’ for these ads. Another effective method of communication, was word of mouth. Newspaper advertisements (as distinct from newspaper stories) in the local daily were significantly less successful in reaching and achieving a response from the target audiences.
To date, the website has not been as widely used and successful in engaging volunteers and the general public as the project team believe it should be. Informal research is currently being undertaken to find out how this could be improved.
Social marketing is complex – seek specialised advice
Social marketing is quite different from conventional marketing of a product or service and it is difficult to find good local knowledge of social marketing in regional centres.
While City On Its Feet has achieved high levels of brand awareness, this has not necessarily translated into changes in the behaviour (around walking) of specific population groups. Successful targeting and persuasion of specific groups presents subtle, but specific challenges.
To help overcome these issues, seek advice around the basics of social marketing – talk to marketing and research agencies with experience in this field, and utilise library and online resources.
Updated | 28 Feb 2008.
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